Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in order to attend which religious festivals prisoners were released on temporary licence in the latest year for which information is available.

Records for 2017 show that prisoners were released to attend religious services at Eid and Easter as well as to attend Sikh Temple, Quaker meetings and Jehovah’s Witness services. There were also releases for unspecified religious services.

Facilities for worship are available in each establishment but, as part of restoring links between the offender and wider community, suitable, risk-assessed offenders may attend worship outside the prison to help them adjust to the climate of non-prison worship and mixing with the community. In addition, temporary release for the purpose of maintaining family ties might be timed so as to coincide with religious occasions and offenders may be released for compelling compassionate reasons to attend services such as funerals of close family members, again subject to thorough risk assessment.